Trainspotting

When it comes to game changing movies, it's hard to undersell what Pulp Fiction did to Hollywood's outlook in 1994. Seemingly out of nowhere here comes a violent, dialogue driven film, that embraced the B movie sensibilities of seventies, discussions about pop culture, that jumped effortlessly through time and characters with an oldies filled soundtrack. As such there was an industry wide effort to embrace this new style that audiences clearly loved. Enter Trainspotting a British film from Danny Boyle about drug-addicted misfits with its own pulsing soundtrack. Since then the films main players, director Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor have gone on to bigger more exciting things, but since they've decided to revisit these characters for a sequel, I thought now was a perfect time to hit up the 1996 hit.

The film is told from the perspective of Mark Renton, a heroin addict with a small and slightly crazed group of friends. Despite enjoying the high-life Mark finally decides to kick his habit and potentially join society, but his demons and his friends might mess up his chances.

There's a lot in Trainspotting to recommend. It features one of the best openings of all time with McGregor's pitch perfect voice over work matching his foot chase with police with Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" pulsing in the background. The acting, though notably over the top, is all pitch perfect with British character actor mainstays like Ewen Bremmer Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle who chews every bit of scenery he can gets his hands on.

The film is at its energetic best when our characters are going about their regular misadventures seemingly without consequences. Danny Boyle's camera work is quick and energetic, and the film uses a great series of music cues from British pop music.

However, the main attraction is Ewan McGregor who manages Renton's journey from agreeable anti-authoritarian junkie into a more responsible and thoughtful person exceptionally well. Typically in roles like this you get the impression that the lead might miss their old life, but both the script and McGregor's performance make it abundantly clear that the addict life is not only dangerous but also way less fun that advertised, even by the film's opening.

Since this is a movie about drugs and drug addicts we're also going to dive into some horrible stuff including some scenes that haunt me to this day (the baby hallucinations are the stuff of nightmares). The tone shifts in this one are notably daunting as he jump from a "devil may care" perspective into, holy god I'm the worst person that's ever existed, and quite a few brushes with death. The film's arc is all about how far some people have to be pushed before they reform, or don't/can't as the case may be, so we've got to get to some pretty terrible lows before our lead gets back on track. The film's resolution feels well-deserved but it always felt like a hollow victory considering how low Renton and company had fallen.

Which leads me to the curious question of how in the hell they made a sequel with any meaning out of this movie. Without spoiling the film's finale, everyone's path, especially Renton's, is pretty clear and it doesn't look like there's any wiggle room. I'm sure they figured out an angle that worked, but I doubt that the film can truly land in the same way.

Though I'll remain skeptical of the sequel, Trainspotting is an energetic dive into life on the edge with a standout performance from a young Ewan McGregor. Not for the squeamish, but definitely up the alley of your average Tarantino fan. Check it out!